Ray's Music Biography
My earliest musical tuition was by my father, on ukelele and spoons, who was quite profocient on both.
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I began playing the piano in 1958, having classical lessons. I performed at school, at my Boy's club, and at holiday camps and wherever I could. Many of my friends played guitar, harmonica, and brass instruments and we often jammed at my Grandma's house, where I lived, much to her despair I'm sure.
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In 1964 I started my first blues band. I think we were called "The Hoochie Coochie Men" (along with about 350 other bands in the early 60's). It wasn't very good but what we lacked in ability we made up for in enthusiasm. Most of the kids in our audiences liked it too, We started our own blues club in the backroom of a pub and charged half-a-crown to come in. |
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In 1965 I teamed up with a couple of blokes, with whom I'm still good friends, and we formed "The Worrying Kynde", a blues, R'n'B and, eventually, soul band, typical of the 60's. We played most of the trendy London clubs (the Beatles came in, one night - woooooh!). We toured France, Germany and Poland. We supported quite a few big names like Alan Price, The Searchers, Cliff Bennet, The Kinks and The Scaffold and often did double header gigs with other bands on our agency, like The Artwoods (Jon Lord on organ) and Dave Anthony's Moods (Reg Dwight on organ), I had a lot of competition!. |
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We made a couple of records but only one was released, "Call Out My Name" which, strangely enough, has turned up on a recent compilation of obscure stuff from the 60's
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The 70's saw my gradual transition from soul and R'n'B to progressive rock and heavy metal, screaming hammonds and such, largely inspired by Jon Lord who I had got to know in the 60's. The Band was called "Big Daddy". But by the end of the 70's the punk era was well and truly under way and, anyway, I was too fat for the spandex trousers so I stopped playing. |
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I lived in the USA for a while in the 80's and I played blues piano in a bar in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in my spare time. Eventually, back in the UK, I met up again with Fig, the guitarist from "The Worrying Kynde", we started a blues band in 1988 called "Junkyard Dog". This lasted a couple of years and, with one or two personnel changes, became "Chicago Shouthouse", a good, tight, popular blues band which lasted until the mid 90's. Following the breakup of this band and a bit of illness, I joined the house band at the weekly blues jam at "The Heathcote" in London's East End. The was the "Blues Revue" band and I stayed with them for about 4 years. Through the Jam I met many blues players and jammed, played, rehearsed and recorded with several of them.
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I met the phenomenal slide guitar player Martin Fieber and joined "The Customtones", we recorded a CD in 1998 called "Brassfinger" and we still do gigs together, when I use my old white Hammond.
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In 1999 came the fruition of around 20 years dabbling about with songwriting when I made a cd of my own material called "35 years, Man & Boy".
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Through a friend I met Adam Norton, who struck me as a very capable and enthusiastic young harp player. He wanted to start an Essex based blues band and I agreed to join. This was "Bad Town Blues". As soon as I met Clive I felt a rapport between us in how we liked to play and what we liked to play, this together with Adam's powerful harp playing and a good solid rhythm section means that the band has gone from strength to strength. click here for Bad Town Blues website I have tried to work a bit harder at writing, than before, and I am pleased that I have a few songs on our debut album "Down in the Alley". |
Equipment I use includes a white Hammond M100, a Hammond M3 and a Hammond XK1, A Kurzweil SP88 stage piano, Ohm amp and Yamaha cab, a Yamaha P80 stage piano, a vintage Cordovox amp, and various other vintage keyboards and amps that I have collected over the years.
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My next project was a solo album "Happy Days", just me and the piano and my own songs. It contains sixteen vocal and two instrumental tracks in the Blues/Boogie style. As well as gigs and festivals, I have more plans for the future including another album with "Bad Town Blues" and maybe with "The Customtones". There also may be more solo stuff to come (see also the "Theatre" page on this site). I hope you have enjoyed reading this and perhaps I'll see you at the next gig. See CD News for Review. |
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In 2003 I started the Heathcote Arms Blues jam up again with my friend and bass player Terry Duggan. The Jam went from Strength to Strength averaging around 25 jammers, some great talent and around 50-60 listeners every week. I continued to run the jam for two years until the summer of 2005 when, due to a lot of other commitments, I passed the jam over to my good friend Terry Duggan who has continued up to the current time.
Click Here for the Heathcote Blues Jam website
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In 2004 I started a project called "Essex Delta Blues" which was an album of Essex bands, some recorded at my studio and some using tracks they had previously recorded. There was a total of 17 bands on the album and the whole thing was a co-operative venture. Following the successful release of the album (which was recently voted no 3 in the Digital Blues Awards for 2005) we held a 3 night Festival at The Essex Arms, in Brentwood, Essex. and raised a tidy sum for charity. The next volume is now in the planning stage (2006) |
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In 2004 I started a new album with "The Customtones" which is should be completed by mid 2006.
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Also in 2003 I started recording a new album with "Bad Town Blues" at my own 16 track studio. This album was finished in August 2005 with an official launch date of February 23rd 2006. We have 15 songs on the album gving a total of seventy eight and a half minutes of music. All of the songs are original: 7 by Clive Mulcahy, 6 by me, 1 by Adam Norton and one collaboration between Adam and Myself. So far we have had some very good reviews and we are enjoying playing these songs at our gigs. |
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I also have other projects on the go, an album of original songs "Soloco" by my friend Richard Dobney and, of course, gigs with Richard. This album was finished in 2006. |
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I also started "Back2Blues" in 2005. This band features singer Lynn Taylor who appears on the Essex Delta Blues album in "Cryin' Out Loud", singer, harp and sax player Phil Hughes who is a regular performer at "Nothing But The Blues" in London's West End. On Guitar is Alan Vincent, recently of "The Odyssey Blues Band" but a veteran of many others including Bob Brunning's "DeLuxe Blues Band" and many years residency at the Caernarvon Castle with Shakey Vic. On Bass is Malcolm Benson, another veteran of the "DeLuxe" Blues Band. The drummer is Matt Dobney, brother of Richard. The music could be described as Swampy, Country, Funky Bluesy and the band is rapidly developing it's own unique sound.
In February 2006 the "Digital Blues" awards for 2005 were announced, in association with Phoenix FM, and I was lucky enough to be voted the number one favourite keyboard player. I'd better keep practising!
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Also in 2006 I produced the "Essex Delta Blues - Volume II, A to Z" album containing tracks by thirteen Essex bands from the "Rockin' Armadillos" to "The Zoltans". This album won the "most popular album" award in the "Digital Blues" awards for both 2006 and 2007 |
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The Customtones Album "Hip Gripper" was completed in 2007 and is awaiting artwork and release
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2007 saw the release of "Bad Town Blues" third album "buffet flats". This contains 11 original songs written by Clive Mulcahy, Giles King, who has replaced Adam Norton in our line-up, and myself. All recorded, mixed and mastered at my own studio during 2007. Good reviews received so far and the new material has been well received at gigs. |
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Also in 2007 I joined up with Dave Richardson, Chris Barrow and Tim Bale of "The Swamp Cats" and Len Tuckey, formerly of Nashville Teens and the Susie Quatro band (to name a few) to form "Rolling Thunder" which is a "Bob Dylan and The Band" tribute band. We have done a few gigs so far and have been rated as the best tribute band playing at "The Riga" music bar in Southend.
Click here for the Rolling Thunder website
In 2008 I have had another major change in direction and I have started a Country Music band, "Bootlegs", with Lynn Taylor, the singer from the now defunct "Back2Blues". Lynn has always favoured country and her voice lends itself to the genre so well. My friend Martin Fieber from "The Customtones" is doing duty and the slide guitar and the lap steel and my old friends Terry Duggan (from various bands) and Clive Nash (also from various bands), both of whom I have gigged with in the past, are providing our rhythm section on Bass and Drums respectively. As I write we are still seeking another picker but hopefully we will have a full complement very soon.
Click Here for the Bootlegs website
